Green Diamond plans to clearcut around strawberry rock

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Clear-cutting planned on Strawberry Rock Trail

Update post on 3/21/11

Green Diamond, owners of around 400,000 acres of forest in the northern Redwood belt, plan to log at least one rare pocket of century old Redwoods near Strawberry Rock in Trinidad, California. The proposed clear-cut would decimate the forest and bury the main trail to Strawberry Rock in tangled debris. Other areas of forest would be clear-cut in the area surrounding of the popular megalith.

This logging plan includes 84 acres of clear-cutting and 25.5 acres of "selection" logging. The main trail up to Strawberry Rock passes through a grove with trees over 100 years old, this is marked on the maps as "Unit E". 18 acres are slated for clear-cutting in that patch. 6.5 is marked for selection. There are very few trees left in the Trinidad area even close to 100 years old. The forest on the west facing slopes and terraces uphill from Trinidad was mostly clear-cut in the early 1900's and later burned in a huge fire in 1945. It was then logged again, the timber company (companies?) took most of the remaining big trees. Green Diamond aims to take some of the very few that remain, a grove that holds significance for many people who visit the rock and the forest.

This file contain the forest description, or "stand description", from Green Diamond.

If you want to send in a comment letter on the plan to regulatory agency Calfire, today is the last day they will accept them as far as we know. Calfire has already recommended the plan for approval. Their email address is: santarosapubliccomment@fire.ca.gov

The logging plan is #1-10-137

We are hoping to start a public discussion this. Please leave messages or comments, thanks!

This type of logging is run-of-the-mill at Green Diamond. Clear-cutting is part of their identity.

Clear-cutting like this is legally limited to 40 acres at a time. This was meant to keep huge tracts from being clearcut at once. The timber companies stagger their cuts over several years, a piecemeal approach to massive clear-cuts. Looks something like a jigsaw puzzle.

From an aerial view or hiking on the ground, you can see the damaging effects of this "cumulative impact". In the logging plan documents, the proposed cuts look relatively small and spread out.

I too hope that folks in the area will organize around this. We don't have any meetings planned but I like the sound of that.As many can relate to, we don't have much spare time these days, so we put our energy into sounding the alarm.

I think that a lot of public pressure on Green Diamond to change or scrap the logging plan could make a big difference right now. If it comes down to it, we (the public) might have to put ourselves between the saws and trees in order to stop this.

This is just one of several upcoming Green Diamond logging plans near Trinidad. We hope that challenging this plan will have a broad positive effect on the way the forest is treated around here.

Here are some photos of portions of the units. The most recent photos also have generalized map locations, just click on map after viewing the photostream. I am too hoping to meet with others who are interested in organizing to stop this plan. Thank you for getting the word out.

Welcome!

This blog is intended to serve as a forum for information about the proposed clear-cuts near Strawberry Rock. The creators of this blog are Humboldt County locals who think this place is special and should be protected, not clear-cut. Please join the discussion, thanks!